The two drivers, whose vehicles were loaded with mandrax tablets worth nearly R3.3 million, are expected to appear before the Kraaifontein Magistrate’s Court today.
The two were arrested on Saturday in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, in an intelligence-driven operation by the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB) and Crime Intelligence.
The Hawks led team spotted the truck off-loading boxes onto a private vehicle in Acacia street, Kraaifontein Industrial Area.
Upon conducting a search, Hawks spokesperson Captain Philani Nkwalase said they found 73 packets, each containing 1000 Mandrax tablets. The two suspects aged 26 and 53 were arrested.
Nkwalase said the preliminary investigation revealed that the drugs were in transit from Gauteng to Cape Town.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, three suspects were arrested by the Hawks in partnership with Crime Intelligence, K9 unit as well as the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries last Thursday for possession and transporting illegally poached abalone.
The multi-disciplinary team swiftly acted on the information and intercepted two vehicles at Klapmuts headed towards Paarl on the R44 near the N1, transporting the abalone.
During a search of the vehicle, members managed to confiscate almost 1011.8 kg of poached abalone worth over R1.5 million.
The two vehicles have also been seized pending further investigations.
The trio will also appear at the Paarl Magistrate court today. - SAnews.gov.za
